Lamp socket



Oct. 11, 1938. F..H. WESTON 2,133,159

LAMP SOCKET Filed Jan. 25, 1937 Inventor:

" Frederick H. Weston,

by a 4% His Attorney.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAMP SOCKET Frederick H. Weston, Bridgeport,

Conn., 'assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York 2 Claims.

' The present invention relates to lamp sockets and especially to lamp sockets comprising a metal screw shell and center contact upon which a rubmolded casing or body The invention is the construction of a ber casing or body is molded.

well adapted for use in portable waterproof lamp socket molded directly on to the end of a flexible cable or lamp cord and isparticularly illustrated and described in this connection. It is to be understood, however, that this is only by way of example and that the invention is not limited thereto necessarily. In the drawing, the figure is a side elevation, partly in section, of a lamp socket embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the lamp socket comprises a center contact 3. The center contact l is fastened to a disk 4 of hard insulating material by means of a hollow rivet 5, the rivet extending through the disk 4'and being flanged over on each side thereof. Disk 4 is located in the lower end of screw shell 2, the screw shell being provided with an inturned flange 6 against which the peripheral edge of disk 4 rests. The disk is thus held firmly in the bottom of the screw shell. Surrounding the screw shell is a. steel sleeve 1 which extends throughout the length of the screw threads of the shell and fits tightly against them. The steel sleeve is positioned at its upper end by means of an outturned flange 8 on the upper end of the screw shell. Flange 8 serves to provide a flat surface of the width of the flange per end of the screw shell.

Molded directly on to the disk 4, center contact I screw shell 2 and steel sleeve I is the rubber casingor body .3. It is alsomolded directly on to the cable or lamp cord 9 which may with advantage be -rubber covered cable.

In constructing the lamp socket, the two conductors of the cable 9 have theirends soldered to rivet 5 and shell 2 as indicated at l0. and II, after which the assembled parts are placed in a suitable mold and the rubber body 3 molded directly thereon. In this molding operation, a suitable plug is placed in the shell to close the opening therein so as to prevent rubber from entering the at the upshell. The flange 8 forms a seat fora flange on the end of the plug so that it is correctly positioned in the mold. This serves to make unnecessary the use of. a threaded plug to screw into the shell while molding. Also, the flange 8, during the molding operation, serves toprevent rubber from being forced down between the shell and the steel sleeve I. The socket may be provided with an extension i2 molded directly on the cord 1, a screw shell 2, and a a handle for the lamp socket. In the central portion of the handle It may be of any suitwhich forms the drawing, is shown broken away. able length.

The socket is provided with an integral wall l3 adapted to receive and hold the inner end of a glass globe 14, the globe being preferably threaded to thread into threads on the inner surface of the wall. Also, the socket is provided with an annular groove IS in which the split end clamp or ring it of a suitable guard I1 is fastened. Guard I1 is in the form of a cage formed from insulation covered wire and the split end clamp or ring I6 may be fastened in the groove by suitable threaded bolts (not shown).

By providing a steel sleeve which surrounds the screw shell 2 and providing the screw shell with a flange which projects over the end of the steel sleeve, I provide a construction wherein the screw shell may be made of relatively thin material, the steel sleeve serving to reinforce it and give it the necessary strength to withstand the pressure met with during the molding operation and when in use. The use of thin material for the shell is important from a manufacturing standpoint as it enables the screw thread to be formed therein 'easily At the same time, the outturned flange, as pointed out above, serves to provide a shoulder for positioning the plug used during the molding operation and also to prevent material from being forced in between the shell and the sleeve during the molding operation.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

1. A lamp socket comprising a screw shell having an outturned flange at its open end, a reinforcing sleeve surrounding the shell and extending throughout the length of the screw threads, the flange projecting beyond said sleeve, a center contact, and a body molded directly on to said shell, center contact, and sleeve.

2. A lamp socket comprising a screw shell' having an inturned flange at its inner end and an outturned flange at its outer end, a disk engaging said intumed flange, a center contact carried by said disk, a reinforcing. sleeve surrounding the shell throughout the length of the screw threads and engaging said outturned flange, a cable having its conductors connected to said center contact and shell, and a body of insulating material molded directly on to saidshell, sleeve, disk and cable.

- FREDERICK H. WESTON.

of insulating material 

